Dr. Michael Denner shows the size and consistency of the mchadi dough patties that should be formed before frying.

Podcast: What Makes Georgian Food Georgian?

Published: December 26, 2018

What makes Georgian food Georgian? How does the development of Georgian cuisine reflect historical events, geography, and politics? Where do you find the best food in Georgia? In this podcast, Dr. Michael Denner, professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at Stetson University, discusses traditional Georgian foodways, answering these questions and more.

Dr. Denner will lead a two-week Georgian Foodways tour during the second half of June 2019. The first Foodways tour was held in 2018. He is also preparing to publish his translation of Грузия со вкусом, a bestselling cookbook in Georgia written by Tinatin Mzhavanadze. The book, which will appear in English as Georgia with Taste, will be published in volumes. The first will be devoted to vegetarian and vegan recipes from Georgia’s traditional cuisine.

This podcast interview was conducted by Shaylen Vitale and Evelyn Kraklow, students at Stetson University.

About the author

Dr. Michael Denner is a professor at Stetson’s Program in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES). A food enthusiast, he is currently translating and adapting a cookbook called Лобио, сациви, хачапури, или Грузия со вкусом (Lobio, Satsivi, Khachapuri, or Georgia with Taste) for English-speaking audiences. As part of this project, Dr. Denner is leading a Georgian Cooking Club at Stetson to test the recipies with Stetson’s diverse student group. Dr. Denner will also be leading Georgian Foodways for SRAS a new, two-week study abroad course that will address topics such as climate change and state agricultural policies within the context of broader issues of food security, the place of food in social justice and ethnic identity, and the role of Georgian foodways in the current global tourism economy.